Access control questions, answered

A single controlled door with a reader, lock and controller typically costs between £750 and £1,500 installed. Multi-door systems usually work out between £600 and £1,100 per door, because the controller and software cost is shared across the doors. Door hardware, cable runs and any fire alarm interfacing move the figure most, which is why we survey before quoting rather than pricing blind.

A single door is normally half a day to a day. A typical 8 to 12 door commercial system takes two to four days on site, followed by a commissioning visit to load users, set access levels and hand over. Larger sites are phased so the building stays secure throughout.

Yes. We repair, service and extend all common makes of access control, door entry and intercom, whoever installed them. If a system is genuinely beyond economic repair we will say so and show you the numbers for both options.

On a designated escape route, yes. The locking must fail safe and release on alarm, free mechanical egress must be maintained, and every maglocked escape door needs a green emergency break-glass release. This is a life-safety requirement and we test it with the fire alarm at commissioning.

Yes, instantly. You delete the credential in the software and it stops working the next time it is presented. There are no locks to change and no cost, which is the main practical reason buildings move from keys to access control.

Yes. App-connected panels forward the call to your mobile with video, so you can see who is there and release the door from anywhere with a signal. The panel-to-handset call still works on its own wiring if broadband drops.

We cover England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland through our installation network, with regional engineers rather than one central team. Tell us the postcode when you enquire and we will confirm coverage and realistic attendance times.

It is one of the most common applications. A digital directory panel, per-flat handsets, resident fobs and a managed trades window replace the shared code and the endless label changes. The communal system is usually the freeholder or managing agent's responsibility.

One or two service visits a year for most commercial sites. Each visit should cover door-by-door inspection, lock and release testing, fire interface verification, battery and power checks, and a user-list review, with a written report you can give your fire risk assessor.

Yes, where both systems support a common integration. Every door event gets a matching video bookmark, so instead of scrubbing hours of footage you click the event and watch it. We check compatibility at survey before anything is ordered.

As a guide, a single door with a reader, maglock and controller typically lands between £750 and £1,500 installed, and multi-door systems usually work out between £600 and £1,100 per door as the controller cost is shared. Cabling distance, door hardware and software licensing move the figure most.

A single door is normally a half-day to a day. A typical 8–12 door commercial system takes two to four days on site, plus a commissioning visit to load users and hand over.

Often yes. Many modern systems run on two-wire or existing risers, which avoids re-cabling a whole block. We test the existing pairs before quoting so the price you get is the price you pay.

Yes. App-connected panels forward the call to your mobile, so you can see the caller and release the door whether you are upstairs or out.

Only for phone forwarding. The panel-to-handset call works entirely on its own wiring, so the door still works if the broadband drops.

Sometimes. It depends on the cable count in the existing riser. We survey first and tell you honestly whether an upgrade or a replacement is the better spend.

For a controlled rear entrance or a workshop, yes. It costs meaningfully less, it is reliable, and it can be upgraded to video later if you choose a modular panel.

Modular panels commonly scale to dozens of buttons, and above that a digital keypad panel with a directory is easier for callers to use.

Yes. You delete the credential in the software and it stops working at the next presentation — no locks changed, no cost.

If they are an encrypted format the new system supports, often yes. We read a sample during the survey and tell you before you commit.

Change any shared code whenever someone leaves, and review all codes at least twice a year. Individual codes reduce how often this is necessary.

Battery-powered standalone keypad locks exist and suit outbuildings, but for a main entrance a wired unit with battery-backed power supply is far more dependable.

It can be, but biometric data is special category data under UK GDPR. You need a lawful basis, a data protection impact assessment, and normally a genuine alternative for anyone who objects. We will flag this at survey rather than after install.

A properly specified system always has a fallback — a fob, a PIN, or an intercom call to reception. Nobody should ever be locked out by a failed read.

You keep a fallback: a fob, a PIN, or an intercom to reception. We never specify a single credential type with no alternative.

Mobile credentials are normally subscription-based, priced per user or per door. We show you the three-year total at quote stage, not just the install price.

A fail-safe lock releases when power is lost — used on escape routes. A fail-secure lock stays locked when power is lost — used where security must survive an outage. The fire strategy for the building decides which goes where.

Yes, when it is fail-safe, interfaced to the fire alarm, fitted with a green emergency break-glass release, and free egress is maintained. Fitted any other way it is a serious life-safety risk.

Yes. Powered doors should be inspected and safety-tested at least annually, and more often on high-traffic entrances. It is a safety requirement as well as a reliability one.

Yes — the reader authorises, then the operator opens. Outside of opening hours the door simply stays shut to anyone without a valid credential.

Yes. A powered gate is machinery and must be risk-assessed, force-tested and fitted with appropriate safety devices. Any competent installer will produce that documentation as standard.

Yes. App-based control and video calling to a mobile are standard on modern gate intercoms, provided there is a usable signal or network at the gate.

Modern ANPR cameras use infrared illumination and read plates reliably in darkness and poor weather. Positioning and lane geometry matter more than headline specification.

Typical booms rise in 1.5 to 6 seconds depending on length and duty. High-traffic entrances should be specified for fast cycle and high duty, or queues build quickly.

They reduce it dramatically. Sensor-based detection flags a second body in the lane and alarms or closes. Combined with reception awareness, tailgating becomes the exception rather than the norm.

It must fail to a free-egress state — wings drop or arms free-spin — so the lane becomes an open escape route. This is interfaced and tested at commissioning.

Communal entrance systems are normally the freeholder or managing agent's responsibility, with costs recovered through the service charge. Individual handsets inside a flat are often the leaseholder's.

Door-forced and door-held-open alarms report it, and a door closer with the right power rating removes most of the temptation. Reporting plus a notice usually fixes the behaviour.

Not necessarily, but they do need a supported integration. We check compatibility at survey so you are not sold two systems that will never talk to each other.

Only as long as you have a justified need. Many sites settle on 30 days. Whatever you choose should be written down in your policy and actually enforced by the recorder.

On a designated escape route, yes — the locking must fail safe and release on alarm, and free mechanical egress must remain available at all times. This is a life-safety requirement, not an option.

It cuts power to the lock directly, independently of the software and the fire panel, so the door can always be opened from the inside. Every maglocked escape door should have one.

Yes. We work on all common makes, and we will tell you plainly if a system is genuinely beyond economic repair rather than quietly replacing it.

Attendance depends on location and workload; a building left insecure or with residents locked out is prioritised. Tell us which it is when you call.

Once or twice a year suits most commercial sites, with high-traffic entrances and automatic doors on the more frequent schedule. Fire-interfaced doors should be function-tested at every visit.

Door-by-door inspection, lock and release testing, fire interface verification, battery and power checks, software and user-list review, and a written report you can hand to your assessor.